Blockchain technology and its use across different industries is on the rise. And so is the interest in how blockchain technology can be used as part of online voting protocols. During the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya conference focused on Cybersecurity and ICT Security, Jordi Cucurull shared Scytl´s insight and research on how blockchain technology can (or cannot) help ensure online voting privacy, security and auditability. Key conclusions shared at the conference:
- Open blockchains can be used for the distributed immutability of data, ensuring data has not been changed after its publication. This guarantees, for example, that audit information has not been manipulated after its immutabilization in the blockchain.
- However, open blockchains by default do not provide all the security requirements for secure, private and auditable online voting. For example, blockchains do not provide data encryption, a key element in ensuring voting secrecy and voter privacy.
